Blood's Getting Hotter Bodies Getting Colder
by BM.Real.X7
Summary: It was more or less an apocalypse. The virus had spread throughout the nation and there was no flicker of hope. They weren't going to survive, they knew that, but death was something they had known would happen to them all their lives. Who said they couldn't live their lives just because the un-dead ruled the world? Killing zombies; what better way than saying 'yolo?
1. Part I

Hey,

Its been a while, eh?

I bring you guys a short story.** It's a Zombie Au fic. All the main characters of the series are in this. They are all humans.**

I was just going to post the whole story in one chapter but since the story is technically divided into 5 parts, I decided to just post five chapters. I have 4 chapters written, 5th one almost done so don't worry about me abandoning this fic.

I was going to post this earlier but stupid Canada, stupid storm, stupid house with no wifi for a week.

Anywho!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Night World.

Enjoy!

**Blood's Getting Hotter; Bodies Getting Colder**

-o-

_Summary: It was more or less an apocalypse. The virus had spread throughout the nation and there was no flicker of hope. They weren't going to survive, they knew that, but death was something they had known would happen to them all their lives. Who said they couldn't live their lives just because the undead ruled the world? Killing zombies; what better way than saying 'yolo'?_

-o-

_**Part I; Surviving**_

_It had happened so quickly Quinn never had the chance to actually take everything in. One minute he was holding hands with Dove while they walked around the mall and the next he was trying to find a place to hide as the police bolted in and began shooting. He had dragged Dove towards the nearest store and they had hid from the cops behind a clothing stand._

_They heard glass breaking, shots, screams, shots, cries but most importantly shots and then- then that crash. It was like some animal had been unleashed from a cage and had immediately attacked the police because they heard shots and shots and shots and then nothing. _

_There was silence for just one minute but then more screams began and more cries and it was suddenly clear that what ever was out there was killing everyone in the mall and Quinn wasn't going to let that happen. He couldn't die, Dove couldn't die. He grabbed Dove's hand tightly and once again dragged her, but this time outside the store. They were close to the exit and Quinn was sure they could out run whatever it was-_

_But he had been wrong. _

_Of course he had been wrong because _it _appeared in front of them. Blocking the only exit meant for their escape stood Clark, the fat Best Buy employee that seemed to work 24/7 because Quinn always saw him there when he went to buy new games for his X-Box. Clark the 29 year old geek who played World of Warcraft and lived with his grandmother downtown. Clark who was shy and stupidly kind. Clark- Clark who was covered in blood. His eyes were yellow and his skin so pale you could see his veins and his mouth... Quinn could never forget his mouth. Wide open, showing red teeth that reminded him of wolves after a day out hunting._

_Clark bolted towards them. Quinn was frozen and terrified and he was sure he was going to die because he had seen the movies and shows and _fuck, _he had even played the games. He had never thought it possible but it was clear enough to know that Clark was a fucking _Zombie_ and he was going to kill him and his girlfriend-_

_But then a shot, and Clark was falling forward with a bullet through his head. _

_Quinn stayed standing, frozen in that spot staring at Clark not believing anything and then; Dove had ran, obviously twice as terrified. By the time Quinn had noticed it was too late. Another one had been just around the corner, also wearing the best buy uniform, and it had brought Dove crashing against the ground in a matter of seconds. He hadn't had the time to scream as he saw it bite her neck off. _

_Then there was somebody grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the exit, and then- _

The first thing Quinn saw when he opened his eyes was the Walking Dead poster he had taped on the ceiling. His heart pounding hard against his chest and his eyes wide open. He was evidently soaked in sweat and he couldn't help but feel irritated for just a second knowing that he now had to wash another set of sheets.

It was the third time this week experiencing those nightmares. Though they weren't really nightmares but instead memories, Quinn still felt sickened by them and for the third time this week he prayed they would just stop.

-o-

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Morgead greeted him with a wide smile. "About time you grace us with your presence."

"Beans or eggs?" Mary-Lynnette asked and Quinn decided to offer her a smile before completely ignoring Morgead.

"Beans please." He said sitting down on the side opposite to Morgead knowing well they had no more eggs and Mary-Lynnette was only asking out of habit. "Any juice left?"

"None what-so-ever. We barely have water- but don't worry, beer wont be running out any time soon." The last part was said with sarcasm as she pointedly glared at Morgead.

Morgead just grinned obviously pleased for being the one that managed to stoke their garage with an endless supply of beer.

"How much is barely?" Quinn asked.

At that Mary-Lynnette tensed before letting out a tired sigh, "Thierry went out with David, Galen, and Keller."

Quinn stood up from his seat alarmed, "why did no one wake me up?"

"Calm down princess, Jez and I weren't allowed to go either."

Mary-Lynnette frowned, "That's because you and Jez nearly got killed last time for being _reckless," _Morgead rolled his eyes "and Quinn, Thierry thought you needed some time to rest. You've been taking a lot of night shifts. You hardly sleep."

Quinn wanted to argue but he knew that his lack of sleep had become obvious and If he were to push it then Mare would start asking questions and he definitely wasn't ready to tell anybody about his nightmares; no one needed to know that he was avoiding sleep. "I see," he said instead taking a seat once again. "When did they leave?"

"Two hours ago," Mary-Lynnette frowned, "they should be back soon. Why don't you two go check the gate?"

Morgead shrugged and left right away while Quinn stayed to eat his breakfast. He avoided small talk with Mare because he knew she was dying to get him to 'open up' considering it was obvious that something was bugging him. They've been living together for over four months and Quinn was still a mystery to everyone in the shelter. They only one who knows his 'story' is Thierry, and that's because it was a prerequisite for him to live in the shelter.

"You make me worry so much, Quinn." Mare mumbled and no matter how hard Quinn wanted to act like he hadn't heard that, he couldn't because Mare's voice sounded hurt and that left him feeling something heavy fall in his stomach.

"Don't worry about me." Quinn spoke leaving his plate on the sink, "I'm not worth your worry." With that said he left, leaving Mare looking at him with a saddened look.

-o-

Quinn found Morgead and Jez by the gate, both holding their guns. He approached them while swinging his bat back and forward. He caught Maggie looking at him from the roof, and Quinn made a mental note to talk to her about standing way too close to the edge.

"I still can't believe Thierry saw this coming." Jez said while looking at the screen that showed what was at the other side of the gate, when she saw Quinn she smiled brightly; "morning sleeping beauty."

"I'm not so sure about the beauty part."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, "you said the same thing this morning."

Morgead shrugged, "yeah but I didn't _mean _it."

"That makes no sense, and Jez," Quinn turned to look at her, "Thierry didn't 'see' it coming. His father _knew_ it was coming."

Jez hummed in agreement, "yeah, who would have thought the cure for cancer would turn people into zombies."

"His father did not find the cure for cancer." Quinn said at the same time that Morgead exclaimed; "the cure didn't have shit all to do with this."

Jez rolled her eyes, "His father worked at the research centre for cancer _and _that's were the first person was infected. Fox News reported that before they- well, you know."

"That makes no-" Morgead started but was interrupted by the buzzing of the gate. "They are almost here." He sighed before looking up towards Maggie. After a minute or two, Maggie gave him a thumbs up and then Morgead was signalling Jez to open the gate. Quinn stood by the left side with Jez while Morgead was on the right. Both he and Jez had their guns aimed up while Quinn kept a tight grip on his bat.

They saw Galen's car first. Galen was clearly driving and Keller was on the passenger seat and- Quinn's eyes widened. He could see someone sitting on the back seat, someone he did not recognize. Jez must have seen that person too because she hissed a low "shit" before following Galen's car once it came inside, her gun still aimed up high.

Quinn stood still as he watched David drive Thierry's car in, right after Galen. He shared a look with Morgead, both realizing that Thierry was not in the car and _since when does he let anyone drive his SUV?_ But everything made sense once Quinn saw a third car coming inside. A car he didn't recognize that Thierry was driving and there was someone sitting on the passenger seat, once again, Quinn did not recognize her.

Quinn shook his head confused before turning to face the controls to close the gate as Morgead signalled an 'all clear'. He quickly looked up at Maggie to double check and with a small and hesitant nod from her, he closed the gate.

"Let's see what this is about" he heard Morgead mumble as they both walked towards the last car that came in. Thierry was getting off the drivers seat and he looked completely exhausted. "Thierry what the-"

"There is a girl in critical conditions in Galen's car, go help her." Was all he said before he went to stand by the passenger side where a girl was getting off.

Morgead had bolted towards Galen's car and Quinn had quickly followed. David and Galen were trying to get a girl out from the back seat while a guy, the one that Quinn had seen earlier sitting on the back, was being pushed against the trunk of the car by Keller and Jez; they both had their guns aimed right at his chest. He looked both furious and miserable holding his hands up while glancing towards the back seat every time he heard a moan coming from the injured girl.

"Is that necessary?" Quinn asked looking at the boy with pity.

"The girl can die if she doesn't get treated right away. I wont let her die because her stupid boyfriend couldn't _calm the fuck down._"

The guy visibly tensed at that, "she wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for_ you_." He growled sending Keller daggers through his eyes.

Quinn saw Keller tense for a second, a look of regret crossed her face before she went back to looking fearless. "Well she should know not to sneak up on people."

"Enough," Galen ordered. The girl was out of the car and was currently being carried by David. "Morgead, go get Thea and Mare, tell them someone has been shot and the bullet is still inside." Usually Morgead would have scoffed at the command but he simply nodded and went straight towards the kitchen where he knew he would find Mary-Lynnette. "Quinn, help David take Poppy towards the main room."

_Poppy, so that's her name._ Quinn thought as he moved to open the door to the shelter. The girl, Poppy, was small and by the look on David's face, she was probably weightless. He could tell she was sweating, but she was definitely conscious since she opened her eyes to look directly at Quinn.

"Jamie," she whispered, "where is Jamie?" it took Quinn a minute to figure out that 'Jamie' was probably her boyfriend being held captive by Keller and Jez.

"Uhm" he said before looking at David.

David sighed, "Go get him, it will probably do her better having him by her side. It's going to hurt as hell to get that bullet removed."

Quinn opened the last door that lead them to the main room of the shelter before going back outside to the parking lot where he was sure a lot of fighting was happening.

"...fucking mad!" and he was right as he caught Jez yelling at Thierry.

"Jez," both Galen and Keller warned but it was no good.

"You can't just bring random fucking people here, Thierry! Not if you plan on letting them go."

"I know."

Jez was livid, "Do you? Because I don't think you do." Jez was no longer aiming her gun at 'Jamie', instead Galen was holding her gun as Jez paced back and forward in front of Thierry and the girl that had been sitting on the passenger seat. "Because here I am looking at stranger number one," she turned to face the girl, "and stranger number two," she faced 'Jamie', "and guess what, stranger number three is in our fucking home getting her leg amputated all for-"

"What!?" 'Jamie' and the girl yelled.

"She is not," Quinn spoke up quickly catching the eyes of 'Jamie'. "Jez is just talking shit, she is not getting her leg amputated. Actually..." he trailed off to look at Thierry who nodded right away, "'Jamie'?" he asked said person.

"James, actually." Was the reply before realization hit him. "Did Poppy-?"

"She wants you there." Quinn said turning to look at Thierry who once again nodded.

"Ill take him," Galen said handing Jez back her gun as Keller moved away from James. "Follow me," and like that they both left towards the shelter.

"Wow, I'm surprised you didn't have a sissy fit over that." Spoke a voice Quinn didn't recognize. He turned to face the only stranger left. She was glaring at Jez who seemed just about ready to jump her.

The first thing Quinn noticed about the girl was a very obvious scar on her cheek, and by the pinkness of it, it was evidently post-Zombie invasion. She had a young looking face so she could be no older than Quinn. The bags under her eyes were noticeable and the dirt that covered some parts of her face and arms was clear evidence that this girl was _just_ surviving. In fact by the condition both Poppy and James were in, it was clear they were barely getting by.

"Excuse me?" Jez finally reacted to the comment made by the girl.

"You had that coming Jez, I could hear your screaming from all the way up there." Maggie spoke up as she approached the group. Quinn frowned before looking up and as he expected, he found Eric looking down at them. They switch shifts at noon and in all honesty Quinn couldn't believe it was already that late.

"Jez, why don't you help Maggie do the cooking today? Mare will probably be preoccupied for a while." Thierry spoke softly but in a very firm tone and even though Jez had been yelling at him just a few minutes ago, she did nothing but nod before heading off inside.

"Make sure she doesn't break anything," Thierry told Maggie who hadn't moved from her spot.

"I will," she said before turning to face the girl, "I talked to James just now and he told me he was allergic to nuts and that Poppy really dislikes beans. Anything I should know..." Maggie trailed off as the girl blinked surprised.

"I'm fine. No allergies uhm, beans are fine too." She said baffled before extending her hand, "Hannah, by the way."

Maggie smiled, shaking her hand, "I'm Maggie and I really suck at cooking but I am better than most," she turned to give Quinn a knowing look. "Lunch should be ready in an hour," and with that she left.

"I like Maggie, Jez not so much." Hannah said, more to herself than anything.

"Jez is just cautious, it's nothing personal." Thierry explained.

Hannah scoffed, "Cautious? Please, your girlfriend is a paranoid psycho."

There were two things Quinn wanted to do at that moment. One was to defend Jez because no matter how true that statement was, Jez was his friend and he couldn't let a stranger just up and front say something so true- _wrong_ about her right in front of his face. The second was to laugh because Hannah thought Jez was Thierry's _girlfriend_ and god was there anything funnier than that?

But of course he did none of that because Thierry immediately sent him a glare that basically said _"leave"_ so without a second glance he went back inside to let out a laugh he had been trying very hard to control.

Talk about comic relief.

-o-

Like Maggie had said, lunch was ready in an hour. Of course the only ones eating at that time were Maggie, Hannah and Quinn. Mare and Thea were still aiding Poppy, though Quinn was sure they had already taken the bullet out. James was with them in the main room (which was sort of like a living room) with David keeping a close eye on him and supervising the whole situation. Galen and Keller were with Thierry, taking care of all the stuff they had brought from the trip to the mall, where, as Quinn had found out, was the place they were at when Keller had accidentally shot Poppy.

Morgead and Jez were nowhere to be seen which probably meant they were keeping Eric company. Eric who was still on the roof keeping watch. Their shelter was located right beside a pond so the front side was the only side in need of supervision due to the fact that Zombies can't swim. The brick built fences around the sides were covered with electric wires and the outside of the fences had plenty alarms that would activate as soon as anything 'undead' got near.

It was very convenient, their shelter. Due to Thierry knowing of the Zombie apocalypse before it actually took place, he was able to prepare for it accordingly. Of course Thierry had originally prepared the shelter for him and his family, but things had not gone according to plan.

Thierry had lost a lot since the virus began spreading. His parents were the first to go, quickly followed by every other family member he had living in the States. He tried calling everyone, but at the end he never got a reply and he was left alone in a shelter capable of fitting around fifteen people. He had it stoked with food and water, and armed with an electric fence and various weapons available for usage. However he couldn't survive by himself. Which is why ten other people were now living with him.

"So, how did you all get together?" Hannah asked after taking a sip from her water.

Maggie and Quinn exchanged looks before Maggie answered. "Thierry found each one of us trying to survive and he just took us in." She paused to take a bite from her bread before she continued, "He asked us all what our story was, you know, why we were alone. He didn't want much detail, I think he just wanted to find a reason to help us.

He asked us to come live with him saying he lived in a safe place were no zombies were ever around. He also offered food and water and _well_, at that time Mary-Lynnette, Quinn, Morgead and Jez were all living with him so he warned me about them, but yeah. When he found me I didn't care about much, I just didn't want to be eaten by one of _them_."

Hannah listened closely to everything Maggie said before frowning at something, "were you all alone before he took you in?"

Maggie hesitated, looking at Quinn before she shrugged and answered, "Morgead and Jez were together when he found them. But everyone else was by themselves."

Hannah scowled, "I thought Thierry and his girlfriend were together since the beginning."

Quinn nearly choked on his food when he heard that because _oh, _Thierry hadn't told Hannah that Jez was_ not_ his girlfriend and _wow,_ he needed to have a chat with Thierry. Maggie looked confused before she seemed to have connected the dots and she opened her mouth to correct Hannah but Quinn slammed his fork against his plate and Maggie clearly understood the silent message of 'shut up'.

"But I guess it's nice of him," Hannah continued, oblivious of what had just happened between Maggie and Quinn. "To help you guys."

"What about you?" Quinn asked, "What's your story?"

Hannah looked at her plate, which was already empty -confirming Quinn's earlier assumption that she was hardly surviving- and then glanced up as she began speaking. "When the virus first hit my university, I was on a study date with a few friends. It spread quickly, and before we knew it we were stuck in the boys washroom on the third floor of our library.

Poppy and James were there and well, we were freaking out; my friend Gillian and I- Poppy and James were pretty calm considering what we saw; _one of our classmates eating his girlfriend _by the way, but... Poppy and James, they had this look. It was like they weren't really surprised by seeing one of their friends act like a complete monster.

I guess the news had been talking about the virus and all that but... no one really believed it. So even _if _Poppy and James had watched the news before, I was sure that they wouldn't have believed it was actually true."

"You mean they knew? Like Thierry, I mean. They knew about the virus before it actually happened?" Maggie interrupted.

At first Hannah seemed a bit shocked, and Quinn figured it was because she probably hadn't known Thierry knew about the virus before it hit, but Hannah quickly shook the shock away and nodded. "James explained how his family had told him about it, and seeing how he and Poppy are in a very serious relationship, she had to know too.

The Rasmussen's, James' family, were very important people- I don't know how important because I've never pushed for answers but they were important enough to know _everything_ about the virus. They knew about it before it was even a _virus_. That doesn't mean they could have stopped it from becoming one or spreading so please don't blame James or his family for this." Hannah added the last part noticing the look of hostility Quinn and Maggie shared. "James found out about the virus two days before we got stuck in the washroom and well, I guess they weren't really expecting it to hit our university with us in it. He kept going on about it 'being too soon' and how 'it wasn't suppose to happen like this' until Poppy told him to call his cousins.

His cousins obviously knew about the virus and they were more than ready for it. They came to rescue us from the washroom. Honestly once they came I didn't know what I was scared of the most, them -teenagers holding a bunch of guns- or the zombies. They seemed surprised to see Gillian and I, but they didn't say anything.

Apparently James had been right about it 'being too soon' because their parents, all the Rasmussen's apart from them and their uncle, were dead. It was heartbreaking seeing James find out about the death of his family that way. Of course at that point I came to the realization that my parents could possibly be dead too and well, it was quickly confirmed when we turned the radio on in their car. The whole city was basically considered infected.

At first I thought, _if I'm alright, they can be too,_ but that was quickly shot down when we passed my neighbourhood and there was nothing but dead bodies and zombies. I tried calling too, and so did Gillian but I knew deep inside they were gone."

"I'm sorry," Maggie said taking a hold of Hannah's hands. She smiled sadly before continuing.

"We drove to this house, where five more people were waiting, including James' uncle, Hunter. It took us about four hours but eventually we had agreed to become a group and to try to survive this _apocalypse._ It was hard, the first few weeks because we were a bunch of terrified kids that knew nothing about each other. It took time getting used to working as a team, a lot of us hated the term teamwork and that caused a lot of fights.

Eventually our failure to cooperate with one another ended up costing more than we could afford. We lost five people, including James' uncle and his cousin, Lily. We also lost most of our food and water and _fuck,_ it all happened because Gary and Lily didn't want to lock the door and they wasted time arguing, making noise- and _fuck." _Hannah removed her hands from Maggie's as they turned to fists. "It was so stupid. A stupid mistake but it cost us everything we had.

Nothing but bad luck followed after that. The place we were staying at was no longer safe so we had to keep moving. There was seven of us and finding food and water became so hard- we wanted to give up. In fact the thought of just jumping off a building crossed my mind several times. But I couldn't. The seven of us got quite attached and losing someone else would have done more damage than good.

We stayed at a different place every night until we found a bank in the mall. It has a vault and fire proof windows and it was completely zombie free so we decided to make it our new home. The mall itself is basically deserted, so we were extremely shocked to hear gun shots today. At first we thought it was the police or the army but we all know that to be impossible. We went to check it out and well, you know what happened."

"Keller shot Poppy," Maggie guessed.

"Thierry's _"hold fire"_ order came too late. She got shot right on the thigh. When Poppy fell, James went ballistic. It took both David and Galen to hold him down while Thierry examined her leg. He then said he could help and well, Keller threw a sissy fit much like the one Jez pulled earlier." Quinn snorted because of-fucking-course. "He said he had all the material to take care of Poppy so he basically picked her up and ordered everyone to follow." Hannah paused before her lips formed a smile. "It's amazing how you guys respect Thierry's authority. I mean, even now we still have problems obeying Delos-"

"Delos?" Maggie and Quinn asked at the same time.

Hannah blinked, "Yeah, our leader, Delos. He is one of James' cousins. One of our 'seven'."

And that's when it hit Quinn that Hannah had mentioned there were seven of them, and since three were right now with them, than the other four... "Where are the other four?"

"They went for resources earlier today, they should be back in the bank now."

"Wont they be worried?" Maggie asked alarmed.

"Thierry left a note."

Maggie and Quinn shared a look;

"Fuckin' _dumbass_."

-o-

That's it for part I!

Thoughts?  
Part II should be up no later than Sunday.

Sorry for my lack of updates on my other stories (if you read those) I'm not giving up on them. Just got to do some editing and fix a few things and I should be back on FanFiction more often.

I really hope 2014 is the year my true writing talent makes its appearance!

With that said, thanks for reading! Have a splendid New Years. If you're old enough and legal to drink, drink away! If you have a special someone, kiss away! And if you're by yourself at home and what not, enjoy the hell out of the internet!

Love you guys!

Review?

Please?

=D?


	2. Part II

Hey!

Busy busy busy week but here is part II!

Thank you to those who reviewed, favoured, followed or whatever! I really appreciate it! Means a lot to me :)

_**Enjoy!**_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Night World Series

_**Part II; Colliding **_

"So do we break in and shoot everyone, or do we knock on the door?" Rashel asked from the back seat with a serious tone.

Ash scoffed from the passenger seat, "Is that even a question? We break in obviously."

"We knock, actually." Delos stated from the driver's seat.

Ash smirked knowing Delos was serious though it didn't stop him from being the annoying shit they all know he is. "Oh, I like that. We knock, making them think we come in peace, and then _boom; _we shoot everyone. You have one sadistic mind, cousin."

"There will be no shooting, Ash." Delos grunted annoyed already while Ash beamed.

Rashel on the other hand scoffed before crossing her arms, "what, and let them get away with it?"

"We are just going to go and pick up the rest of our team."

"Like hell!" Rashel exclaimed as Ash growled a "fuck no," because he knew Delos didn't want to fight but just ignoring what they had done to them wasn't going to happen. "They shot Poppy!"

Delos sighed but said nothing as he turned left. He was grateful that this so called Thierry had left easy enough instructions to follow. He hated the fact that this ride had turned out longer than anticipated. Especially because he could almost feel the tension in the air along with the silence. He mentally sighed in defeat allowing a few minutes to pass before speaking up, "It was an accident, they are taking care of her right now."

"We don't know how bad the wound is! She could be dead- they could have killed James and Hannah too."

"Guys!" Gillian exclaimed from her spot besides Rashel, talking for the first time since they all got in the car. Delos made a mental note to talk to her about being too quiet because sometimes he honestly forgot she was even around. "Stop with the negativity!" She yelled causing Rashel to shriek because_ ow, that was her ear._

"Gillian is right. I'm sure they are all fine. Trust me on this, it feels right." _Trust me, there is more to it..._

Ash and Rashel both growled but let the matter rest. The rest of the ride to the location 'Thierry' had left went in silence, with a little less tension. Guns rested on everyone's lap but on Delos' who had the note there instead. It was very professional, and straight to the point. In fact the note was written in a way that forced Delos to trust this Thierry guy. He wasn't lying when he said it felt right, because it did. He was worried about Poppy, James and Hannah, but deep inside he knew they were okay. Not to mention they hadn't found any signs of resistance in the bank.

If Hannah, out of all people, had willingly gone with Thierry then Delos knew he could trust him. Not to mention that _there was more to it._

"I think we are here." Gillian spoke up from behind, stating the obvious because once Delos had turned right on this small forest, a big building had come into view. The fences around it gave it the look of a prison, but by the light blue the walls of the building were painted, Delos could tell that this was definitely the place Thierry was talking about on the note.

"There is someone up there," Ash mentioned pointing towards the roof where in fact a guy stood watching them. As they got closer he could see the guy giving two thumbs up while looking down (at what he assumed were other people) and then the gate was opening. Delos spotted James' car right away, parked next to a SUV, which was parked next to two other cars. The second thing that caught Delos' attention was Hannah, standing right by James' car next to a guy who he assumed was Thierry.

"Park next to James." Rashel suggested, her grip on her gun tightening.

"Got it," Delos responded already driving towards the empty spot next to James' car. The gate behind him had started closing as soon as he drove inside and after a quick glance he managed to see two people standing right by it. "No one gets out of the car until I say so."

Ash and Rashel were ready to argue but by then Delos had parked and quickly opened the door to get out of the car and slam the door shut before he could hear any of it. He took the note with him as he approached Hannah who smiled as soon as they locked eyes.

"Delos!" She went straight to hug him and it caught him by surprise because _well,_ they don't do that_, _but he accepted the hug nonetheless. It was when he looked towards the direction of the guy that was standing next to Hannah previously, that he understood why Hannah was acting weird.

He smiled, pulling Hannah closer for him to whisper; "are we trying to make him jealous, because it's working."

Hannah pushed him away then, a frown forming on her lips before she scoffed and crossed her arms. "_No._" She hissed and then turned to look at the guy. "Thierry, this is Delos. Delos, Thierry."

They shook hands, professionally, before Delos caught eye of two guys pointing their guns at him. "You might want to put those down before they think I'm being attacked."

The guys looked confused before the shorter of the two spoke up; "They who?"

"Who else fucktard," was Ash's reply as he stood with his gun aiming at one of the guys. Delos saw Thierry frown once his eyes landed on Ash. The two guys on the other hand looked offended while Hannah stood by him as she shook her head while one hand rested on her forehead.

"I told you to stay inside."

"Yeah, I didn't listen."

Delos rolled his eyes, "I can tell," he said before controlling the urge to think of way to hurt Ash enough that will make him consider _listening._

"Galen, David." Thierry spoke up addressing the two guys who seemed more than ready to shoot Ash down. "Go and let James know his friends are here." Neither argued before they took off inside.

Delos whistled in appreciation, "if only you listened like they did, Ash."

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked at him with disinterest. He put his gun down before he turned to face the spot the two guys had been standing by. "Hm, I thought we were going to have a show down or something. Like a duel. Shame."

"There will definitely be none of that." Said a feminine voice coming from the same door the guys had used. "In fact, please put that gun away, none of us have any intention to hurt you, so you don't need to aim that at anybody here."

Ash smirked, "feisty, I like that."

The girl scoffed before she turned to look at Thierry. "You have to eat at some point. Why don't you and our... guest come and talk over lunch." the last part she directed it more towards Delos. He smiled at that. He considered that respect because the girl had obviously assumed he was the leader and damn,_ it was about time someone did things right._

"Actually we were just going to pick our crew up and leave-"

"That would be great, thank you. I hope we aren't much of an inconvenience." Delos spoke up interrupting Ash who looked more than offended.

"Not an inconvenience at all. There are four of you, right?" The girl asked smiling brightly.

"Yes, Gillian and Rashel are inside- or not." Delos quickly corrected himself noticing the two girls standing right behind Ash. "Does no one ever _listen_?"

"Set the table Mare, we will pass by to see Poppy before going to the kitchen." Thierry spoke up once again taking control over the situation.

"I'll help," Hannah volunteered before her and 'Mare' were heading back inside.

"You can carry your weapons inside if that makes you comfortable but keep in mind that it would only make everyone else uneasy." Thierry explained looking over at the four individuals in front of him.

"The weapons stay with us." Rashel said immediately and after a nod from Delos, Thierry nodded as well and pointed towards the door.

"Let's go then."

-o-

Poppy was okay. They found her resting on the couch with James petting her head softly. Thea, the designated doctor, went over what had taken place and how they had successfully removed the bullet leaving no room for an infection to happen. They listened carefully to everything Thea said until the chatter woke Poppy up.

"You look like a dying hyaena." Ash said wasting no time for Poppy to adjust to her surroundings.

Poppy giggled, "Thanks Ash."

"Well, she recognizes me without even opening her eyes and she still has her sense of humour. I think she is okay."

"Or she knows no one else would ever make a sick joke like that, asshole."

"Jeez, Jill, tell me how you really feel."

"Delos," James spoke up from were he was sitting, "did you have to bring them."

Ash grinned, "Hey now, Jay, that's no way to treat Gillian."

"I'm sure he was referring to you," Rashel mumbled from where she stood by the door.

"Thea," Delos spoke up before Ash could retaliate and his team could further on embarrass him, "thank you for everything. We don't have the equipment to deal with serious injuries so we strongly appreciate what you have done for Poppy."

Thea looked more than embarrassed by the attention but she smiled at Delos while claiming she couldn't have done it without Mare.

"Mare? The feisty one from earlier." Ash mused causing more than half the people in the room to role their eyes.

"Speaking of Mare, you guys must be hungry."

Rashel frowned, and glared at Thierry as if he had murdered her puppy. "We have food," she spat and turned to Delos with clear annoyance "we should get going, it will get dark soon."

There was silence as Delos considered that. They did need to go back and it was clear his team was uncomfortable. Even James seemed uneasy which Delos took into consideration because he should only be focusing on Poppy. Things were really tense and he was beginning to regret thinking this was a good idea. Delos stood up, ready to agree with Rashel when Thea let out a small cough from besides him and stood up as well.

"Poppy can't be moved for another day or two," she said, "she needs rest and moving her can open the wound."

"What do you suggest we do then? Leave her here?" Rashel spoke, anger evident.

Thierry stood up from his seat then, catching everyone's attention. "I suggest you guys stay with us."

Thierry's statement caught everyone by surprise. While Poppy and Gillian smiled at the idea, Rashel and Ash both visibly tensed. James stayed focused on Poppy, liking the idea because he wanted what was best for her and Thea just looked at Thierry mildly confused before understanding crossed her eyes. However Thierry was only paying attention to the way Delos was reacting. He tensed at first, like Rashel and Ash, but soon after his mouth formed a smile and with one quick glance towards Poppy, Delos looked back to Thierry and nodded, "We'll talk later but thank you, that sounds great."

Ash reacted first to Delos' words, allowing his hands to form fists. He glared at him and opened his mouth to tell Delos how _no, that doesn't sound great at all_, but was interrupted by the opening of a door.

A guy walked in, looking tired. He had a bat held tightly by his right hand while the other hand stayed on the door knob, "Thierry, Mare wants to know... _Ash!?_"

And really all hell broke loose.

-o-

"Are they still at it?" Gillian asked once she saw Delos enter the kitchen looking exhausted.

"Not even Thierry can get them to stop."

"That's a first." Spoke a voice Delos didn't recognize and when he turned towards the direction of the voice his heart nearly stopped. Really. It was as pathetic as it sounded.

"I don't think we've met." Delos said knowing well that Gillian and Hannah, who were both in the room, were trying really hard not to laugh. To be fair, he could have done better than that line.

The girl he was addressing blinked before extending her hand. "No we haven't. I'm Maggie."

Delos took her hand and tried really hard not to say her name out loud like a creep. "Delos," he said instead reminding himself to let go of her hand because handshakes should be pretty short and he couldn't just grab her hand forever even though her hand was very soft considering they were in the middle of an apocalypse.

Delos' mind was really going on overdrive.

"Ah, so you're the leader." Maggie said once he let go of her hand.

Delos allowed himself a moment to feel pride because _yes_, people were acknowledging him as the leader and that hardly ever happens and-

"Hardly," spoke Rashel from behind him and oh yeah, she had been following him. "He is just the eldest and thus the self proclaimed leader."

"We voted!" Delos argued, cursing himself for sounding so childish.

"We all voted for ourselves. You only won because Gillian voted for you after you made her feel bad for taking your chocolate bar."

Delos tried, he really tried to say something back at that but by the time he had thought of something clever, Galen, Mary-Lynnette and David, who were in the room, were laughing and Maggie was already shaking her head and_ thank you, Rashel._ Delos thought bitterly.

"But really," spoke Hannah after the laughter slowly stopped. "How is it going with them?"

"They are yelling and punching and we still don't know what is going on." Rashel explained after thanking Mary-Lynnette for the food she had been offered.

Delos was glad Rashel had dropped her attitude and had decided to play it nice with everyone in the shelter. She had even left her gun in their car and though he is sure she is only being civil because she is having way too much fun watching Ash act like an animal, Delos supposes it could be worse.

"It's clear they know each other." Galen mused before turning to face Delos. "Has Ash ever been to California? That's where Quinn's from."

"Our uncle, Hunter, had plenty of house over there. It's possible they became acquainted in one of Ash's many vacations down there."

"By the way they insult each other it's clear they know each other well enough to spit dirt." Rashel added, "I mean, I've known Ash for a few months and even I didn't know some of the things Quinn spat." Delos nearly felt the need to shiver at how impressed Rashel sounded. Scary.

"I'm worried." Mary-Lynnette whispered loud enough to catch everyone's attention. "I've never seen Quinn so livid."

Maggie stood up then, catching Delos completely by surprise because she was wearing these really tight leather pants and wow. "I think we should let them be and avoid asking anything that will make either one of them uncomfortable."

"Really?" Rashel asked raising a brow, "I think we should go there and beat out some explanations."

"Rashel." Gillian warned giving her a fond expression though she was shaking her head.

"What? Just a thought!" She defended before looking around the room and scoffing, "You're all just as curious as me anyways."

"But we shouldn't push it." Mary-Lynnette argued. "Anyways, Delos, come with me. Let's go rescue Thierry. There is something I think we need to discuss."

Delos wanted to say no, especially considering he was starving and wanted nothing to do with serious conversations. But. Maggie was looking at him and he needed to show her he was responsible and-

Rashel, Gillian and Hannah were looking at him with knowing eyes so he nodded and followed Mary-Lynnette out the door. He was never going to hear the end of this.

-o-

"Words can't describe how grateful I am right now, Mare." Thierry spoke from his seat in his office. Delos had to admit he was a bit jealous that Thierry had an office. One that had coffee.

"You looked like you were about to knock them both unconscious."

Thierry frowned after taking a zip from his coffee, "does it make me a bad person if I tell you I had been considering it."

Delos grinned deciding it was a good time to speak up, plus he was already done his coffee and he was sure that if Mary-Lynnette noticed she would offer more. "I would have definitely done it. God knows Ash deserves it."

Thierry smiled at that while Mare refiled his cup. "It's really something, you know. They've been at it for over thirty minutes now and they can still come up with new insults."

"Do you think it's safe leaving them with just Eric and James? What if-"

"Don't worry Mare. They may be capable of insulting each other and trading a few punches but by the passion they put into it, it's clear they actually kind of like each other."

Delos contemplates that, finishing his second cup of coffee. "Now that you mention it, they do look like friends."

Mare looked between Delos and Thierry completely taken aback. "You both are ridiculous." She mumbled but both Delos and Thierry heard her and secretly shared a smile. "Anyways, on to other matters..."

"Delos, Hannah has given me a small summary of what your team has been through since the virus began spreading."

Delos nodded noticing the shift in the room. "I imagined so."

"And forgive me for my bluntness but it's quite clear you guys are struggling and-"

"We're fucked. I know."

Mare cringed at the choice of words. "We wouldn't say-"

Delos frowned, "look, I know how bad our situation is. There is no point in sugar coating it." He sighed resting a hand over his neck while his eyes stayed focused on his cup, "We have the bank and the vault and the bullet-proof glass but we all know that wouldn't be enough to stop an attack- and I'm talking an actual attack, not just two or three zombies. Have you guys ever experienced that?"

Mary-Lynnette and Thierry exchanged a serious look before Thierry replied with a very simple, "no."

"It's shit. Imagine new born bunnies being attacked by a pack of hungry wolves. We were completely defenceless. Until this day I don't know how so many of us survived." Delos paused noticing the look of horror on Mare's face. He smiled sadly giving her a wink, "Don't worry, by the looks of your place, you wont have any pack of wolves knocking your front door."

"This place is safe for now, but maybe not for ever." Thierry said.

"I would say a year or two. That's better than the two months I give the bank." Delos shot back.

Thierry crossed his hands then, giving Delos a calculated look. "And are you happy with that?" Delos tensed, knowing that questions came loaded with more than he could handle. "Is two months enough, Delos? Do they know they have two months?"

Silence took over. The only sound being heard was the tapping of Mare's shoes. Thierry was looking straight at Delos who refused to meet his gaze. It was too much. Too much for Delos to handle right now. Of course he wasn't happy. Of course two months weren't enough. Of course they didn't know. Those were obvious answers but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say them out loud. Delos chocked on his own words and his hands formed fists because this was_ too _much.

"Delos, you do know where this is going." Thierry asked breaking the silence. His words hitting Delos harder than he could handle. He nodded. "So let me ask you this-"

"No." Delos interrupted, his voice a bit shaky. "I can't ask you to-"

"Please, Delos." Mary-Lynnette cut him off, placing her hands over his. "We want to help."

"My team-"

"We want to help all of you."

Delos shut his mouth and sighed, this was a lost battle, he realized. In fact, Delos had known Thierry had planned to invite his team to stay the moment he found the note on one of the bank's windows. No one would invite people over just to pick up their defenceless teammates. At least not anyone trying to survive an apocalypse where resources where limited and really, it was survival of the fittest. No, Delos had been sure a proposition like the one Thierry was clearly offering had been planned.

Of course Thierry seemed like the man to do things without asking so he was sure Mary-Lynnette had not been aware of his plan but had instead caught on with the way Thierry acted. Heck, he was sure Thea had noticed Thierry's plan when she had suggest them to stay the night for Poppy's sake. Thierry had then basically showed his delight in having them around.

Delos caught on then, knowing well that his earlier assumptions were right and Thierry was a nice guy and he did in fact want to help them. But then. Well, _the note._

There were two reasons why Delos thought Thierry was willing to open the doors of his safe-house for his team. Reason one was simple. Thierry was a decent guy with a heart that saw potential in Delos' team and was willing to let them stay to increase their chances of survival not to mention Thierry seemed like he genuinely wanted to help them out because like Delos had stated earlier, give or take in four months they would definitely be dead if they stayed at that bank (which they would have). Reason two was a bit more complicated.

Out of the three Redfern cousins that were still alive, Delos was the only one old enough to have any knowledge of past Redfern history. Which is why when Ash had seen the note he had simply grunted- but Delos. No Delos had noticed the very clear signature of Thierry _Descouedres_. He wondered then, if Thierry had known. That Thierry had somehow seen James and recognized him because of course a Descouedres would help a Redfern.

Everything was confusing to Delos, he couldn't make sense of things and before his mind could calm down, his thoughts had completely taken over his control and he was blurting out words. "You know, when I found the note, I recognized the signature. The Descouedres signature."

Delos hoped he made sense and that Thierry wouldn't look at him weird because he could be reading this wrong but... "I knew you would." Thierry said allowing Delos to calm down a bit.

"You know about... _well_."

"I think there are topics that can be discussed later." Thierry spoke with confidence ignoring Mary-Lynnette's confused expression. "For now though, what is your answer."

Delos tensed but instead of answering he asked; "We've met before, haven't we?"

"Probably when we were little." Thierry replied not bothered by his change of topic.

"Okay." Delos said after a few minutes of silence and both Mary-Lynnette and Thierry knew what he meant.

-o-

"Not a fucking phone call, Quinn!" Ash yelled, "It's not hard to pick up a phone and_ call._"

"And what would you have wanted me to say?" Quinn hissed back, "hey Ash, it's Quinn. Just calling to let you know everyone in the city is dead and I'm out of food. Come pick me up soon, never mind the zombies roaming the streets. Oh, and bring a flashlight because I haven't seen the light in a month- _why you ask,_ oh because there is no _electricity! F_unny that, huh? Oh? How am I calling-"

"Shut up! You had plenty of time to call before the electricity got cut off."

"Sorry I was to busy being terrified-"

"I never took you as a coward." Ash mocked with a smug look and quickly after Quinn punched him. "Fucking- _John!_"

"I'm sick of you Ash. You think everything is either black or white but let me tell you some things are grey and you can fuck right off." Quinn yelled shaking his hand due to the pain he felt for punching Ash. He really needed to learn how to do it properly. "You keep blaming all of this on me when you could have easily called me. You know my number don't you Ash."

Ash froze then, hands covering his jaw where Quinn had left an ugly purple bruise. He was as furious as Quinn, but Ash had a little more self control than Quinn, even if had had punched him once or twice earlier. "Hunter wouldn't let us."

"As if you ever listened to that asshole."

"Dove _died_." Ash said and this time everyone in the room froze.

Eric and James had been standing by watching the two, making sure they definitely didn't try to kill each other. At the mention of Dove's name, Jame had tensed because _oh,_ they were talking about his cousin and _how did Quinn know his cousin?_ On the other hand Eric froze because Ash had been a smug asshole since the moment he got here and now, now he looked like he was about to cry and he couldn't understand how Quinn might have something to do with that. Quinn however stood still, probably not breathing as he stared into space and well, this was the first time he had heard her name since the day she- well-

"That's what Hunter told us. That she died and that you- that you could have stopped it but you ran—" Ash paused, taking a deep breath. "I didn't believe him at first but then we couldn't find you and you never called and Garnet said she saw you but—" Quinn remembers seeing Dove's eldest sister two days after he lost Dove. He remembers seeing her at the supermarket grabbing food with this other guy and he remembers her calling after him as he took a bag of milk and ran the other way. He never saw her after that but, "she said she would look for you and then we never got a call back-" oh.

"Ash." James interrupted him then, giving him a calculated look, "what are you..." he trialled of not knowing exactly what to ask, just really wanting answers for something.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again, Quinn." the indifference in Ash's voice was clear yet Quinn knew him so he knew that this was an act and that;

"I'm glad you're okay." Quinn said softly finding his voice. "I am, Ash, but don't—don't ask me to talk about Dove, _not now_."

Ash stared at him for few seconds before he slowly nodded.

It was evident the fight had finally reached an end. Quinn had taken a few steps back, leaning back against the wall while Ash stood in the same spot trying to nurse his bruised jaw. James was looking at Ash and Quinn back and forward not sure how to address what had just taken place because they had just been talking about his cousins and he wanted answers but of course Thierry and Delos walked in at the exact moment he had formed words in his head.

"All done I see." Thierry said nodding towards Eric who looked uncomfortable.

"Uhm, yeah. Everything is... good?" he finished sounding more as if he was asking a question.

Thierry just raised and eyebrow and then turned to look at Delos who seemed thoughtful. "James, Ash?"

"It's fine." They replied at the same time though they both made it sound like it was in fact _not _fine.

Delos swallowed, "well then, meet us at the kitchen we have something to discuss."

Thierry gave both Eric and Quinn a look that said the exact same thing and before long both Delos and Thierry were out of the room. Eric left soon after, offering Quinn a pat on the back on his way out. James on the other hand punched Ash on the shoulder and gave him a look that clearly said _'we will talk later'. _Quinn and Ash were left alone and with one glance at each other it was clear they had made a mutual decision to let things go for now. Ash nodded at him, and left after James. Quinn stood standing for a few more minutes before cursing his luck and heading towards the kitchen.

-o-

James should have known that though Ash and Quinn had ended their little fight, it didn't generally mean everyone in the safe-house would be in peace and that another fight would not arise. A fight definitely broke out. And believe it or not, he could blame it entirely on the perspective leaders of each team.

They had gathered everyone (but Mare who was up on the roof) in the kitchen and in one simple minute caused chaos when Delos said; "We are moving in."

-o-

That is it!

Part III should be up no later than Saturday.

Thoughts? Questions?

Review?

Please?

=D?

-Maria

God Bless!


	3. Part III

Wow! Sorry, this was suppose to be up a while ago (give or take three days?) I was just a bit busy and well, had some trouble with my laptop but what else is new?

Enjoy this chapter/part of a bit plot and mostly small hints as to what is going to happen.

Thanks to everyone who is reading this story. Special thanks to all of you who have reviewed, favoured, or followed the story. Really means a lot, I assure you.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Night World.

Enjoy!

_**Part III; Tolerating**_

_Everyone had been staring at him, waiting for him to do something or say anything. They were judging him, no doubt, but Delos hardly found the time to care for that because well, they had mentioned something about a zombie apocalypse ten minutes ago before kicking all his younger cousins out of the room and asking him to sit down because they had more things to tell him. Him. Only him._

_He began wondering when he had become such an important piece to the Redfern puzzle. Five months ago when his father had forced him to travel to the Redfern villa for educational purposes in regards of family history he never thought much about it. His father had said he was finally old enough to know certain things and that he would learn everything important because _'Don't you dare dishonour this family. Don't be the black sheep. You do what I say'. _Delos had kept his head down and memorized what he had been taught. Garnet had been there too and a few other cousins of his but at the end of the day he was the one being asked to stay longer for certain lectures and to read more of certain books._

_His family history was a bit of a joke. A lot of fighting, a lot of conspiracy, a lot of crimes and definitely a lot of secrets that separated various family members from one another. He was told to be proud of being a Redfern but in reality he thought all Redferns were scum and he wished that in the near future he could find a way to change his family name and leave all that shit behind. _

_However his hate for his own family was never that strong, at least not until the last two days of class where he learned about Redferns relations with other families. _

_He felt sick and disgusted with his ancestors by the way they had treated other families and he felt pity and pain for his ancestors that had suffered in the hands of other families. By the end of his little trip Delos had learned that the last name Redfern was more than a label to his riches and status in the science and political communities. Redfern was blood, money and dishonesty. It was corruption. A lie with no escape. _

"_Talk boy." His father had ordered after getting bored of seeing Delos stand still with his mouth wide open staring at Hunter. _

"_I-" Delos tried but he didn't know what to say. At that moment he wished Ash and James were still in the room because they would have definitely known what to say. "I-"_

"_Don't stutter." His father hissed and Delos shut his mouth._

_There was a virus, they had said._

_There was a cure, they had said._

_There had been a meeting..._

_A vote..._

_A decision- a _wrong _decision..._

"_Excuse me." Delos mumbled, turned towards the bathroom and bolted. He knew he would later get kicked around by his father for bad manners but Delos didn't care. He made his way to the bathroom, locked the door and within seconds he was emptying his stomach all over the toilet. He felt numb when he stood up to face the mirror above the sink. His reflection reflected his distress- sick, completely sick. He turned the sink on, leaned over,_

Delos splashed water all over his face trying to push the memories away. Just thinking back to the meeting made him feel sick all over again. That night had been by far one of his shittiest ever. He had gotten kicked around by his father later that night. A lecture about never showing weakness in front of the council and a few things had been taken from him but what had hurt Delos the most was that when he asked his father his opinion on the stuff Hunter had told only him;

"_A wonderful decision. The future, like Hunter says."_

His father had always been a dick but never once had Delos stopped calling him father, until that night.

"Delos, they are waiting for you." Gillian stood by the bathroom door with her arms crossed but a wide smile spread across her face. "Even I don't take that long in the bathroom." She teased and Delos was glad Gillian was finally smiling after all these months. He was glad at least one person in his team was happy about their new living arrangements (Poppy and Rashel were also okay with it but still,)

"I'm coming, stop creeping."

"You left the bathroom door open, I'm not creeping!"

Delos smiled and closed the sink. He dried his face with a towel before throwing it at Gillian and asking her to take it to his room. Before she could say anything to him he was running down the hall towards the Parking lot. There were a lot of things to do today and Delos wouldn't let his stupid memories make this day any harder than it was meant to be.

-o-

"I don't know if we should be offended because all the guys went hunting today or flattered because they left all the girls in charge of protecting this place."

"Offended considering a few guys are still around and they are the ones on guard." Rashel answered Jez's question while attempting to open the rest of the bean cans with a butter knife. Earlier the day while nearly everyone had been in the kitchen 'bonding' like Delos and Thierry had suggested they do _every_ day, Ash had opened a few bean cans with a butter knife to show off and now Rashel had to do the same because there is no way Ash can do something she can't.

She has some sort of secret fight going on with Ash where they try to excel the other in whatever possible. She was already ahead of the game by fitting in and getting along with everyone even though she was originally against the idea of moving in. Ash was still stubborn and apart from taking a liking in Mary-Lynnette (by that meaning she was easy to react to his childish acts so she kept him entertained), he spent his time nagging Delos to reconsidering the whole moving in thing.

Rashel had known convincing Delos to reconsider accepting Thierry's generosity was a lost cause since the moment he even agreed to staying. So she made an effort to fit in and well, things had gone better than expected. It definitely helped that the girls here were tolerable and that was one things Rashel had definitely been worried about. She never doubted Hannah, Poppy and Gillian would easily fit in because they were sort of alike and well, easy to like. Rashel was a bit harder to even tolerate.

So it was really a blessing that Jez and Keller were around. Heck, even Maggie and her shared a few things in common, things that made her feel welcomed. Thus Rashel was actually adapting to living with Thierry's crew. And she was definitely enjoying seeing James and Ash suffer.

"Hm, did any of you ask to go hunting?" Maggie asked, her eyes focused on Rashel as she began banging the can.

Keller scoffed, with her head resting over the table. "The only words I managed to get out were, '_Hey Thierry, can I_' before he cut me off, asked me to do some other task and by the time I was finished they were long gone."

"Weird," Thea mused, "They usually don't mind."

"No, they usually don't have a choice. Now since there are plenty of men to spare they are back to acting like sexist pigs." Keller declared, head still down. Yup, Rashel definitely liked Keller.

"Well, did you guys really want to go hunting?" Thea wondered. "It's boring."

"Better than staying here doing nothing." Jez shrugged while leaning against her chair, "since you guys moved in there is hardly anything to do." She said addressing Rashel due to her being the only new one around, "Since all the jobs are divided equally, I literally just have to watch over this place once a week. And lets face it, that's the most exciting job."

Rashel hummed in agreement as Thea handed her a Swiss-knife because those cans really needed to be opened. Rashel frowned but took the knife anyways. Ash didn't have to know.

"We definitely have less work," Thea said.

"And more drama," Keller added, "way more drama."

"And surprisingly, we girls have nothing to do with that." Maggie stated happily trying not to laugh at Keller, who was quietly banging her head softly against the table.

"That's because all of us were okay with them moving in," Thea explained, "the guys, not so much."

"I'm surprised Galen and Morgead threw a fit."

Keller scoffed, "I'm not."

"And who would have thought Ash and James would team up to wreck Delos."

Keller gave Rashel a knowing look, "I saw that coming."

"What was shocking was Eric and David's complete look of horror."

Keller banged her head a little harder against the table, "Not that shocking, actually."

Thea laughed, loud and rich with Maggie, "Men." They said in unison and soon both Jez and Rashel were laughing too, Keller even managed to crack a smile.

-o-

Eric sneezed for the second time before stating: "I think someone is talking shit about me."

James raised an eyebrow at that but decided not to comment.

Silence.

More silence.

The wind.

Silence.

"When do you think they will be back." Eric asked looking up at Quinn standing by the edge of the roof. He waved at him but Quinn just blinked back; ass.

"An hour give or take." James replied.

Silence.

"Are the cameras powered by the generator?"

Eric shook his head, "batteries actually."

Silence.

"Cool."

Silence.

-o-

"Are they joking and becoming best friends yet?" Poppy asked Quinn from her spot on the roof which was a small corner by the door where neither James or Eric could see her.

"No," Quinn answered for what he felt was the tenth time.

Hannah, who was sitting right next to Poppy, frowned, "what are they doing, then?"

"Brooding."

Hannah and Poppy exchanged a look, "Fun."

Quinn just wanted them gone. How hard was it for them to understand that no, the guys were not going to get along any time soon? He told them over and over again but the wouldn't listen. And they really should considering he is the reason why the guys wont get along so_ he should know. _

Well, he is only half the reason. The other reason would be Ash.

It was clear that whatever argument him and Ash had had on their first encounter since the whole apocalypse thing had not actually ended. He hasn't spoke to Ash since that day and Ash is doing an amazing job avoiding him as well. They obviously have a silent agreement on hating each other.

So really it was completely normal to have Eric, David and Morgead decide they hated Ash too. Just as it was normal for James to take his cousin's side and hate Quinn too. Thus it wasabsolutely _natural_ for James to hate Eric, David and Morgead just like they hated him too.

Yeah, the guys were definitely not getting along any time soon.

Galen, like Thierry and Delos, continue to make efforts daily but things just end up awkward with the way all the other guys close off. It may be immature but he really couldn't care less because-

Because.

Well.

It really came down to him not wanting to make the first move in talking to Ash.

"You know, you should probably try talking to Ash." Hannah said looking at him with clear eyes and Quinn really hated himself because it was the same look Mary-Lynnette gave him every time she was worried about him.

"You can punch him again," Poppy added, "if you don't want to talk, that is."

"It would do everyone good to have you guys talk over whatever disagreements you have." Hannah continued ignoring Poppy.

"It would make everyone happy actually. We want everyone to be friends."

Silence.

Quinn turned his back on them with the words,_ so do I, _stuck in his throat.

-o-

"I am not touching that," Ash hissed, glaring at the waste pipe.

"Stop being a diva and put on the gloves." Mary-Lynnette hissed back throwing a pair of gloves at him.

Ash glared at her, "You do realize that's everyone's shit."

"Not everyone took a shit this week, Ash."

"But I know Delos did and I am not touching that."

Mare growled, "I did not need to know that," she spat pushing Ash out of the way.

"What are you doing?" He asked watching Mare adjust her gloves before she began reaching out forward- "You are not touching that!" He exclaimed grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the pipe.

"Ash! It's out job, we have to do this."

Ash glared, "I don't have to do anything-"

"So let me!" Mary-Lynnette grumbled but didn't make any attempts to fight Ash. He was still holding her hand, but not tight enough. She could easily slip away from his grip but...

"No."

"_Ash_," Mary-Lynnette stressed in a lower tone.

"_Mare,_" Ash mocked back trying hard not to do something childish like sticking out his tongue.

"We have to clean that."

"No."

"We are not leaving until we clean that." She declared, her hand still not leaving Ashs'.

Ash looked thoughtful for a second, before a small smirk played at his lips, "okay."

Mary-Lynnette frowned, "I mean it."

"Okay."

"_Ash,_" Mare warned.

At that Ash smiled widely before slowly pulling Mary-Lynnette closer to him. "I can think of a few things to do down here." He said with Mary-Lynnette pressed lightly against his chest. One hand holding her hand while the other ghosted around her back.

Mary-Lynnette shivered, blushed and without a second thought, pulled away, kicked his shin, ran upstairs and locked the door.

"Mare." Ash hissed from behind the door after a few seconds of yelling from the bottom of the stairs. She bit her lip. "Mary-_Lynnette_." He said stressing the 'Lynnette' part of her name.

Mare crossed her arms over her chest. "Clean the gutter, Ash."

"Mare!" Ash grumbled from behind the door trying to open it. "I swear-"

"The gutter wont clean itself!"

"Fuck you!"

Mary-Lynnette smiled, "In your dreams," she said knowing well Ash hadn't heard her because she could hear him going back downstairs._ That's what he gets for being a creep,_ she thought but bit her lip once again when she thought back to what had just happened.

-o-

"You know, it's very convenient." Gillian mused, once Delos made it back to his room after a long day out hunting. She was laying on his bed playing with her hair.

Delos arched an eyebrow, "What is?"

"The equal numbers."

"Uhm...?"

"Of girls and boys."

Delos snorted, "what are you, twelve?"

Gillian grinned clearly amused. "I just find it funny how there are nine girls and nine boys."

"I know that smile," Delos said with a fond look on his face, "what are you really thinking?"

Gillian stared at him for a few seconds before she looked away and bit her lip trying not to laugh. She ignored his original question and instead asked a question of her own, "How's Maggie?"

She got kicked out after that.

-o-

"Two chickens and a pig?" Rashel scoffed, "you took five hours to catch two chickens and a pig? Keller and I could have done that in an hour."

"Hey now!" Morgead protested, "there were zombies around."

Keller rolled her eyes, "your point?"

"Kids, kids." David interrupted while feeding the chickens. "Why don't you argue about who's going to kill the pig instead?"

"I vote our oh-so-fearless-leaders do it." Rashel said, both Keller and Jez agreeing right away.

"Delos is resting and I have resources to organize." Thierry spoke, "where's Eric or Quinn?"

"Hiding." James said coming in the storage room. He paused, glanced at the chickens, turned towards the beer, took two and left without another word.

"Isn't that your beer Morgead?" Jez asked amused.

"We have a deal." Morgead sighed, "they can take my beer and I can have some of their liquor."

Silence.

"Someone find David, he'll cut the pig."

-o-

"Did you know you have shit all over your shirt?" Thea asked the moment she saw Ash walk in the kitchen. "Also, you kind of smell."

"Where's Mary-Lynnette?" He asked ignoring her question.

"With Thierry, organizing the new resources."

Ash left without another word.

"Hm, he does know he smells right?"

Quinn all but shrugged as he tried to push away the anger gathering up in his stomach for being completely ignored by Ash. "He called her Mary-Lynnette. That's a first."

Thea paused, giving Quinn a long look before nodding. "He usually calls her babe or sugar pie, think she finally told him to shove it where the sun doesn't shine."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, "she rejected him the moment they first exchanged a few words. I think she might have been the reason behind his uhm, state of well... shit."

Thea winced, "That's not going to be a pretty fight, is it?"

"She is with Thierry. No need to worry."

-o-

Galen locked eyes with Keller, she flipped her hair back, he looked back down at the table.

"You know, its awfully quiet." Poppy spoke from besides him, causing him to glance at James who sat in front of him. No movement.

"Everyone's outside trying to kill the pig." Keller responded, her eyes on James.

James had taken notice, he shifted in his seat before looking at Poppy who was focused on the table. He turned to Keller then, "What about the chickens?"

Galen followed the movement of Poppy's hands as she went to reach for her glass of beer. James paid no attention, Keller answered: "We are keeping them for the eggs."

"I see," said James and then he moved his left hand slightly across the table and then-

"Signal!"

"Block!"

Too late.

"Yes!" Poppy exclaimed, hands high up in the air. "That's our third win!"

Keller frowned as she collected the cards that were scattered all over the table, "we are still wining by ten."

Poppy ignored her, in favour of telling Galen how he totally saw him examining her every move and that had Galen smiling because _I noticed you giving me dirty looks through half the game, Poppy. _And well Poppy then mentioned somethings about how_ that was because you were totally cheating! _Galen then gave her a look of bewilderment while saying,_ really? Really? You were the one trying to kick James under the table the first five games! That's cheating!_

James turned to Keller, who was looking at Galen the same way he looked at Poppy, "Seven more to go, then."

Keller snorted.

-o-

"Why is he so difficult?" Mare groaned as soon as Ash left Thierry's office.

"You did lock him in the sewers."

Mare frowned at Thierry. "That was his fault."

Hannah, who was sitting right next to Mary-Lynnette, nodded before placing her hand on Mare's back. "I believe you."

"I do too." Thierry declared trying to avoid Mare's glare, "I just feel like you locking him up in the sewer is a reasonable explanation as to why he came and-"

"Conceitedly declared he was done playing prince charming and that it was now Mare's turn to woo him?" Hannah finished for him causing Thierry to sigh in defeat, "yeah I don't recall Ash ever being anything close to a prince, much less charming."

Mare scoffed at that, "And I don't recall ever showing interest for him. It's very cocky of him to assume I even- what?" Mary-Lynnette asked once she noticed the way Hannah and Thierry were looking at her. "I don't like the look you guys are giving me- okay, that's just creepy. You two are doing the same things with your eyebrows and- stop." Mare protested, crossing her arms and that's really when everything hit her lick a ton of bricks. "Neither of you have any right to- oh. _Oh._" Okay, maybe two things hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh?" Hannah asked, "Clarify, please."

Mary-Lynnette smirked.

Thierry froze. No. No. _No._

He knows that look and _well._

"I just think its funny-"

"How Ash would even assume you like him." Thierry interrupted, giving Mary-Lynnette a look that clearly said _shut up_. "I'll talk to him about it."

"That wont be necessary." Mare said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Thank you?"

Mare smirked, "Thank you Hannah and Thierry because the two of you have helped me open my eyes."

Hannah frowned, she was clearly missing something... "What?"

"How can I say it. Your eyes just seemed to have awoken-"

"I'll go see how killing the pig is going." And then Thierry was gone. Mare was smiling and not saying anything anymore and well Hannah...

Hannah was confused.

-o-

I'd like to think this part was a bit happy. At least compared to the part after this one, I really hope your heart felt warmness by reading this.

Next part will be a bit more... cold.

With that said, next part should be out next week. My birthday is next week though, so if it comes delayed, I am sorry.

Review?

Please?

=D?

-Maria.

God Bless.


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